WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, the House passed a short term spending bill, sending it over for the Senate to finalize before the Friday deadline. If congress does not approve of the bill, there will be a government shutdown.
The stopgap spending bill would fund the government into the new year but at a two-tiered approach, which is an unusual method. It would extend the funding for agencies for different periods of time. Some through mid-January and others through early February. It’s an uncommon move but the bill received mostly bipartisan support. Our local representatives voted for this bill.
Now it’s up to the Senate to take up the bill. We spoke with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY) on this. Gillibrand said the bill is not perfect nor something democrats would’ve wanted but it keeps the government’s lights on, for now.
“However, while this plan keeps our government open, at least until January, there’s still a lot of work we need to do to set new spending levels and establish our future priorities,’ said Sen. Gillibrand. “We need to deliver resources for programs that support health care, education, jobs, childcare, national security and more. I also want to note that this plan also did not include a defense supplemental with critical national security funding, including money for Israel, Ukraine and humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
We asked the Senator if she is confident congress can approve additional aid for Ukraine, which is something House republicans are growing more opposed to. She thinks there could be an agreement later down the road but that agreement could come with strings attached. She believes House republicans will approve an additional aid package for Ukraine as long as it also includes funding to better protect our southern border. Republicans have strongly advocated to enhance funding and security measures at our borders.
The Senate could vote on this spending bill as early as Wednesday night.
